Of Castles & Waterfalls

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Part One: Castles 

Nestled in between the Swiss mountains 45min north of Lugano is a charming city called BELLINZONA. Home to three different castles {all designated by the United Nations as sites of cultural importance} Bellinzona is an underrated gem! I have yet to see any American or Asian tourists here (which is really saying something because they are everywhere!) I just don't understand it.. I mean check out that view ^^! Plus if the prospect of exploring middle age castles wasn't lure enough, consider that Bellinzona is still in Italian-speaking Switzerland so you can grab some incredible gelato + a pizza after you explore the castles! My kind of place.

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Part Two: Waterfalls 

And from there the weekend only got better! The next day, we took the entire incoming class and headed to VALLE VERZASCA, a favorite region of mine, home to a massive waterfall + glacial rivers + quaint villages. Our large group of english-speaking students seemed so comically out of place in these mountain villages, I couldn't help but smile as one of the DOUBLE DECKER tour buses struggled to navigate a narrow cobble stone road lined with balconies.. #EuroProbs. Comedy aside, I was more than thrilled when the buses finally stopped to let us off for a picnic by the river and then a hike up to the base of the waterfall. When I came here last year I had no idea what to expect, whereas this year I was excitedly urging the incoming students along the path to the magnificent falls. Can you blame me? 

the view from a mile away! ⇡

see that little speck circled in the bottom right? ↗ that is a person. yeah.. this waterfall = gigantic.

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Part Three: The Plunge 

And then to wrap it all up I jumped into a glacial river  (like literally. it is glacier melt.) Interestingly enough, the night before said plunge ^^ I watched The Titanic..  coincidence? I think not. I feel for ya Jack and Rose!! My legs went numb after just two minutes in the water! But the thrill of it all was worth it. 

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And thus concluded my last weekend of 'summer'. Orientation is done. Classes officially started this week, so it is back to the daily grind of homework/work/classes/more work, etc. But I certainly am not complaining, because I have an inkling that this semester is going to be brimming with the best adventures yet.  I am ever grateful for this chance to live in such a breathtaking region of the world, for the escapades I have the opportunity to go on, the people I get to meet, the friends I have been able to make, etc. I can feel it, a tingling kind of sensation in my bones, I think that this is going to be my most exciting year yet! so bring it on world.

PS you can find last years posts about Bellinzona + Valle Verzasca here and here

Carnevale 2013

I was sick all last Thursday and Friday so I resolved to spend my Saturday doing homework and catching up on rest. But at the last minute my friends and I hopped on a train to Bellinzona to check out the ongoing Carnevale celebrations. I am so happy we did! Straight off the train we ran into a huge group of costumed performers readying themselves for a parade! We were even lucky enough to find a front row spot where we stood in the frigid cold for over an hour watching the parade. I loved every single second of it.  

This post is full of pure visual delight + some fun facts about Carnevale as a Swiss holiday 

 In the spirit of Carnevale I wore a blue wig and some said that I was living "the teenage dream" 

One of the many"cliques" getting ready to play "Guggenmusik" in the Carnevale music parade on Saturday. 

Carnevale is a five day celebration which takes place right before "ash wednesday" and the beginning of Lent. The word carnevale is of italian origin and means "without meat" which ties it back to the idea of fasting and lent.

 

The performers were predominantly Swiss but cultures from all over the world were honored in the parade. Although not 100% politically correct, I thought all the costumes were beautiful and worn with respectful intentions of honoring the ethnicity they represented.

An onlooker throws confetti

The Bellinzona carnevale traditions of costume parades, confetti throwing, risotto in the street, etc. are all unique to the italian-speaking region of switzerland. But of course some credit must be given to the influences of both the more traditional Venetian Carnevale and that of Fasnacht in german-speaking switzerland/Southern Germany. 

Hands down the most terrifying costume I saw in the parade, the head alone was easily 7ft tall. 

I got a wink from this babe as he passed by me. 

This is what I imagine Lion King the musical to be like. Just look at the detail in the face paint alone on these guys! So beautiful!  

A little taste of what guggenmusik sounds like! note: it appears like I am standing in the parade route because I pretty much am. The laugh attack at the end is because I was nearly knocked out by a drummer intent on beating his drum despite my face being in the path of his drum stick. apologies for the poor videography and small size. I'll work on it :) 

The festive decor included flags strung between buildings, paper ornaments on trees, loads of confetti and even a giant mask on one of the castles. I couldn't stop taking pictures. 

Next year I hope to spend more time in Bellinzona over Carnevale weekend, perhaps taking place in the Masked Procession on Sunday + Risotto in the streets on Tuesday. 

Until 2014,  Carnevale you will be missed. 

Bellinzona, Switzerland

Today I visited the city of Bellinzona! It is the capital of the Ticino canton (aka state) and a cornucopia of beauty and culture. It is also home to three castles, all of which I got to see. The main castle, Castel Grande is the only one I actually climbed up to, but it was beautiful! the castle walls are situated on top of piles of jutting rocks but once you get inside you see rolling green courtyards and people lounging in the sun. I also climbed up to the top of the white tower which had incredible views of the surrounding area (including castles #2 and #3). After hanging out at the castle for a while my friends and I headed back to the main piazza for some pasta and gelato. It was delicious, today I tried a wild berry which was refreshing but not as good as Stracciatella. 

After we returned to the Lugano train station I headed to find the Migros (supermarket) downtown.. and once again got lost. This time on my adventure I inadvertently stumbled upon a monastary and the home of a famous poet that has since passed away. You never know what you will find when you are lost in Ticino! But unlike last time I was brave enough to ask for directions (in italian!!!) and the police officer totally understood me, answered in Italian, and I made it to the supermarket! SO PROUD. I have been practicing my italian everyday with the locals and love that I am starting to understand them, even if it is only a little little little bit. 

After a scrumptious dinner of schnitzel and spetzlah, made by one of my lovely german orientation mentors! We had an ice cream social, which was way cooler than it is in the states, basically I tried like 5 different flavors of gelato! It is a good thing I am walking 4+ miles a day, otherwise the freshman 15 would be much more of a reality with all this gelato! 

Loving it here, ciao!